Michael Champagne Strength United!!

For those of you that have expressed your concerns..I'd like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your thoughts, words, wisdom, insight and prayers have been invaluable and with all your support, it's comforting to know I'm not beating this alone.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

An interesting note although the docs are hesitant to confirm my suspicions..

My April 4 posting mentions when I ran into Dave Stewart while playing basketball in my gym. At the time my whole right side went numb and my oncologist blamed it on the nerve damage from the chemo..

Well I did have my last treatment in my right arm and neuropathy followed immediately, mostly on my right side. And I dropped the Oxaliplatin to prevent further damage. But at the time my suspicions were that something else was going on.

Well I now think it may have been a combination of factors. I believe I did have neuropathy from the chemo however I now believe the impact with Dave hit the tumor in my left temple immediately triggering a slow brain bleed or hemorrhage.

So my hemorrhage on June 2nd was a continuation of the April impact. So in effect Dave helped bring the tumor to light potentially saving months or years of undetected growth.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

OK 3 months on a feeding tube including surgery, chemo, radiation, more surgery to remove the esophagus and a third of my stomach including 19 nodes, chemo again for 6 months, a brain hemorrhage, 3 brain operations, 1 to remove a brain tumor and now more radiation, this time on my brain...and all within a year..

So I am done..yes I may have more complications but..Cancer Cannot Kill ME!

I know..bold statement to make especially considering the odds.

But I still have my faith, my strength, my beliefs, my spirit and my convictions and I now truly believe Cancer will not kill me..

So for those of you that look upon me with sorrow..look no further than the cancer within me as I am not thru fighting..not through living and not done with what I have started..

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Yes so these last few weeks have been a little tough..stopped my chemo on the 30th..

Had a brain hemmorage on the 2nd..surgery on the 2nd and again on the 3rd to reduce swelling. Removed a 3rd of my skull...resected the tumor on the 15th, replaced my skull piece, and back to work on the 17th and trained 5 clients.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

I must admit.. my motivation is my previous illness. It gets me out of bed now every morning. I wake.. and my first thought is how little time I have. No.. I do not believe my cancer has returned.. just the opposite! But what if? What then? Life is too short .. too precious to waste another second.

I know many of you think that it is no way to lead your life. But I have been given a gift! Another chance at making things right. A friend that has recently passed claimed he was one of the lucky ones. He was given the time to gather his things.. get them in order..

Well I consider myself lucky too! I have another shot.. a chance to get my life in order. A chance to grow.. to prosper.. to live and have fun.. to feel the sun..

Motivations change.. develop.. We may have many. But today mine is strong and unwavering..

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Three weeks left before I receive my last treatment at Dana Farber and then 3 weeks left of orals and I'm done! No testing until September so I have the summer off and hopefully that will be it.. Please send some positive energy my way..and do not forget my dad..thanks all..

Thursday, April 22, 2010

My dad is my inspiration. A two time survivor of prostate and lung cancer. He's gone through the radiation, the hormones and surgeries. Only to find out he needs more chemo starting Monday.

Yes he's 79(almost).. works every day.. feels the suffering and pain but refuses to let his illness dictate his life. He is my inspiration.. my mentor.. my dad.. Without his strength and courage I would be lost...

Find someone that inspires you.. study them...observe.. and then do your best to be like them! Don't curl up on the couch.. don't let your illness keep you down. Get out and live your life..

It has been awhile since I've made daily postings on this blog. I created this site to keep others informed while I progressed through chemo, radiation and surgery... I had promised to end my writings after my surgery and hospital stay as I had considered myself cured and moving forward, even though I had another round of chemo to complete. I felt that if I had kept writing... I would never let go of me disease.. If I claimed it I owned it and therefore I tossed it from my life and continued on..

I've learned a lot along the way..about myself, the supportive nature of the people around me..about the chemo, radiation and the surgery..and am continuing to learn more every day.

I've lived with the pain of surgery, the nausea of chemo, chemo brain, neuropathy..the fatigue of the radiation.. The disappointment of learning there was more treatment to follow.

Most important though is that I've learned to "Live" through the process. Yes initially I was knocked off track. But I have learned to accept my present state and lead my life..live my life..push forward with my goals and aspirations..

I've learned that there is a distinct difference between being fit and being healthy. I've always been fit..always lead a healthy lifestyle.. Don't smoke, don't drink. Eat clean..

But something was missing. Cancer was growing..spreading.. Maybe laying dormant for years. Was it genetics, lifestyle, environmental..who knows. I didn't fit into the risk categories for esophageal cancer.

So it's taken me some time to find a purpose through this. Taken some time to evaluate my present state and find a direction relating to my journey and I think maybe I can help others.. help them cope.. help them maintain dignity and strength.

So stick with me as more will follow..I'm not totally there yet but I'm formulating a plan..a road map for others to follow so If you know anyone in need.. information maybe.. someone to bounce things off of. Please let me know.

My treatment is ending soon however I'm ready to put myself out there to help others.

For those of you that do not know me yet.. take some time to read through my blog. Yes some, if not all, may be a little boring for you however.. it will give you some perspective of what I have gone through and maybe I can be of some help to others.

This blog was initially created to help others follow in my journey..maybe now is the time to lead others in their journey.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Two treatments left! Dropped one of the 3 drugs that was causing neuropathy so only taking 2 of the 3 drugs.

Ran into a client the other day playing basketball so now the right side of my face/head, shoulder, arm and hand are all numb...so yeah it was time to drop one of the drugs before the nerve damage remains permanent..

On the positive side...took on another 4000 feet of space and am expanding my business, working again on my web sites...continuing on with work on with my fitness invention and continuing on with my life. Been on hold way too long..so email me if you want to find out more..

Friday, March 5, 2010

Noticed some of you have been visiting.. and I haven't posted for some time!

So.. I am doing GREAT!

Been back on chemo since Dec 29th. I have 6-21 day cycles..just started my 3rd cycle last Tuesday. Seems though, that my system will only allow 28 day cycles. Every time I go in to Dana Farber for treatment, it's postponed for a week as my white counts are way too low. So a week off my orals brings my counts up enough for a treatment a week later.

So.. looks like I'm on schedule to complete treatment sometime in June.

Still have my hair, still have my spirit and still have the support of my friends and family so.. what more can one ask for.

Email me at michael@michaelchampagne.com if you would like to catch up!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

OK so I was wrong!! Yeah those words tasted bitter but I have to admit that the DANA 400 is not working for me.. and I am stopping as of today!

So.. for all of you that have "stepped up" and exceeded even my expectations.. I thank you all for your support in accepting and following my challenge.

I've learned that in my present condition(state), it is best for me to do heavy weight training and not "conditioning" training. I physically do not have the recovery capacity to continue with benefit as I am continuing to drop additional weight and am currently around 150 lbs...

The conditioning from the DANA 400 is ideal for most that want to enhance their physical conditioning and is an excellent "test" of your capacities.. however, I have found that I do not currently have the nutritional support nor adequate rest for myself to reap the rewards for my efforts.

I had felt that while undergoing chemo, the challenge would have been an excellent way for myself to maintain a minimal amount of conditioning, however I have learned that as the challenge continued, I was actually accelerating my physical decline.

So I am going back to what I do best.. lift heavy, lift light, vary my routine, play basketball... maybe join Tokyo Joe's next door and have fun!

So for all of you that have stepped up and accepted the challenge(and there were many!), GREAT JOB!! You all are truly amazing and I thank you for your support in following my obsessions..

You are off the hook.. the pressure is off.. and you can return to your normal activities and hopefully you have all learned more about yourselves as I have of myself..

I do believe though, that many of you can still benefit from a modified plan.. pick one or two of your weakest exercises and perform them often at home while convenient to do so.. and enjoy the rewards..